Riva St Kilda wedding photos: Markala and Gavin walk hand in hand across the waterfront lawn, a picket fence and the bay behind
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Real waterside wedding · St Kilda, Melbourne

Riva St Kilda Wedding Photos: Markala & Gavin

Riva St Kilda · St Kilda VIC · Melbourne

Waterside Wedding · Region: VIC - St Kilda · City: Melbourne · Venue: Riva St Kilda

A sequinned gown glowing in the morning window, vows under a white-draped arbour with the marina’s boats behind, and a lawn of palms and white pickets lit gold over Port Phillip Bay at sunset. Markala and Gavin’s wedding at Riva St Kilda had happy tears in the chairs, a speech from the bride herself and a first dance against a pink sky. We were right there with them, from the first laughs with the mates to the last glasses raised on the dance floor.

The gallery
Markala, in a white bride tee, and a friend look up at her sequinned gown hanging in a bright window.
Gavin laughs in the middle as two mates in white shirts pull him into a big hug by the windows.
A mate reaches around from behind to fix Gavin's black bow tie while Gavin screws his eyes shut, grinning.
A loved one in a navy dress pins a boutonniere onto Gavin's black dinner jacket beside a tall window.
An attendant in a lilac dress fastens Markala's sequinned gown in a white doorway as she gets ready.
Markala spritzes perfume beside sheer white curtains, her sequinned gown catching the soft window light.
Markala and her attendant hold pastel bouquets among four loved ones in dark suits and a magenta dress.
A loved one in magenta kisses Markala's cheek while her dad stands smiling on her other side.
Markala stands between her dad and a loved one in magenta, holding her pastel bouquet in a bright room.
Markala and her attendant in lilac stand with two young men in dark suits, all smiling for a group portrait.
Markala is caught reflected in the window glass, holding a blush clutch and gazing out towards the trees.
Gavin bends to a seated guest with red hair who cups his face before the waterside ceremony on the verandah.
Her dad walks Markala down the petal strewn aisle on the covered verandah at Riva St Kilda as guests raise their phones.
Markala holds her dad's arm and a pastel bouquet as they pass white weatherboards and guests filming the processional.
A wide eyed baby in a white dress sits on a guest's lap in the chairs during the ceremony by the marina.
A loved one in a navy dress smiles from the front row, phone in hand, with a camera operator filming behind her.
Guests fill white folding chairs on the dark verandah deck at Riva at the St Kilda Marina, Markala's dad in the front row.
Markala and Gavin face each other under a white draped arbour topped with white roses at their bayside ceremony.
Markala and Gavin hold hands under the arbour at Riva, moored boats on the marina behind them and a mate standing close.
Markala and Gavin bow their heads over joined hands during their vows, white roses above them.
Gavin speaks his vows to Markala under white roses, the water of the St Kilda Marina soft behind them.
A loved one in magenta wipes away a tear with a tissue during the waterfront ceremony, beside Markala's dad.
A little girl in a white dress peeks out from behind a cocktail table's long white cloth inside the venue.
A little girl in white squeals with laughter as a guest swings her up beside the firewood at the waterside venue.
Markala and Gavin with family in front of tall curtained windows at Riva St Kilda, Elwood, beside a stack of firewood.
Markala and Gavin stand with her dad and a loved one in magenta in front of the tall windows inside.
Markala and Gavin pose with her dad, a loved one in magenta, a loved one in navy and a smiling man in a navy tie.
Markala and Gavin stand with a loved one in a navy dress and a smiling man in a navy tie by the bayside windows.
A family group lines up with Markala and Gavin by the tall windows and stacked firewood at Riva St Kilda.
Gavin stands with two women in floral and red dresses, a loved one in navy and a smiling man in a navy tie.
Markala and Gavin smile with an older guest in a grey suit and waistcoat at the waterside reception.
Markala and Gavin stand behind two seated older guests in front of a dark curtain, everyone smiling.
Markala and Gavin stand behind a seated guest in a pink floral top at Riva, tall palms in the window behind.
Older guests and a loved one in magenta sit with Markala's dad at a candlelit table, palms outside the bayside windows.
Markala's attendant in lilac holds her bouquet beside two smiling guests in blush and black dresses.
A smiling family of four, with a woman in a navy floral dress and two teenage boys, among the reception guests.
Three smiling guests in suits, the middle one in a bow tie and boutonniere, under a crystal chandelier.
Six guests smile together by a gold framed mirror that reflects a tall palm outside the waterfront venue.
Markala smiles with guests around a cocktail table under a crystal chandelier and a row of tall windows.
Four guests in pink and red ties and floral and red dresses sit close together on a dark lounge, grinning.
Six smiling guests squeeze onto a wicker lounge beside the windows at Riva St Kilda, Elwood, with palms outside.
Guests lean in around a table of pastel flowers beside tall windows looking out to the palms by the bay.
Two women and a smiling man in a navy tie pose at a bayside reception table as guests mingle behind them.
Markala smiles between a guest in a purple lace dress and a guest in a pink strapless dress.
Gavin's mates and Markala's attendant in lilac walk into the reception at Riva at the St Kilda Marina to applause.
Markala and Gavin walk into the waterside reception to applause from guests standing at white cocktail tables.
The bridal party of five smiles in front of the tall curtained windows at Riva St Kilda before the speeches.
Four guests with champagne glasses smile together, a palm reflected in the gold framed mirror behind them.
Guests snack on canapes as a woman holds a baby beside the white three tier cake and a gold framed mirror.
Markala bends over her notes laughing as her dad makes a speech, Gavin grinning beside her.
Markala's dad smiles as he speaks into the microphone while Markala and Gavin listen, hand in hand.
Gavin wipes his eye during Markala's dad's speech at Riva at the St Kilda Marina, boats moored outside the window.
A guest in a navy tie gives a speech at the waterfront reception as Markala laughs over her notes.
Two of Gavin's mates read from cue cards at Riva while Markala and Gavin crack up beside them.
One of Gavin's mates delivers his speech from a cue card while the other laughs beside him with champagne.
Markala throws her head back laughing, champagne in hand, as Gavin's mates read their speech to the room.
Markala gives a speech of her own at Riva St Kilda, Elwood, microphone in hand against the sheer curtains.
Two guests wipe away tears, champagne glasses in hand, during the speeches by the fireplace.
Markala reads her speech to Gavin, who grins back at her with a glass in each hand.
Gavin speaks into the microphone as Markala covers her mouth laughing, boats on the marina behind the curtains.
The bridal party walks arm in arm across the lawn between tall palms at Riva St Kilda on Port Phillip Bay.
Markala and Gavin hold hands in silhouette by the white picket fence, the low sun glittering on the water.
Markala looks back smiling as Gavin leads her by the hand along the picket fence into the low sun over the bay.
Gavin and two mates look out from the waterfront lawn at Riva St Kilda, the city skyline across the water.
Markala and her attendant gaze out over the shimmering bay in golden light, bouquets in hand by the fence.
Markala stands alone by the white picket fence at Riva, her train spread on the grass and the city skyline beyond.
Markala and Gavin dance slowly on the bayside lawn beside the white picket fence in the soft dusk light.
Markala and Gavin walk hand in hand across the lawn under festoon lights in St Kilda, smiling at dusk.
Markala and Gavin kiss by the picket fence at Riva St Kilda, Elwood, under dramatic clouds over the bay.
Markala dances with her dad beside the DJ booth, green lights glowing and the marina through the windows.
Markala smiles up at her dad during their dance, the city skyline glowing beyond the marina through the window.
Markala and Gavin share a dance by the tall windows at Riva at the St Kilda Marina, masts glowing outside.
Markala laughs during the first dance as the open doors frame a pink and gold sunset behind the palms.
Gavin holds Markala close for their first dance at Riva St Kilda, guests watching under a pink sunset sky.
Markala's attendant in lilac and a guest laugh and high five on the dance floor as the sunset fades over the bay.
Guests throw their arms up on the dance floor in St Kilda, the last pink light glowing behind the palms.
A guest in a navy tie dances playfully towards a laughing baby in white on the crowded dance floor.
A guest dances with a woman in a polka dot dress at Riva St Kilda on Port Phillip Bay, the doors open to dusk.
Two guests in dark suits and ties stand by a cocktail table under a glowing chandelier in the evening.
Markala gathers with the girls in their party dresses for a dusk photo at Riva St Kilda, Elwood, palms and the bay behind.
A guest in a blue suit and a woman in navy lace hold champagne in St Kilda, palms and the bayside dusk sky behind.
Markala and Gavin laugh as they cut their three tier white cake together at Riva, the night dark behind them.
Guests sing with their arms around each other on the dance floor under a crystal chandelier.
Markala and Gavin laugh with friends on the dance floor as a guest in a grey tie pulls a funny face.
Markala and Gavin raise their glasses with friends on the dance floor at Riva at the St Kilda Marina.
A mate in a bow tie busts out his moves on the dance floor while the guests around him laugh.
Two of Gavin's mates strike a pose together on the dance floor, one raising his beer high.
Markala and Gavin rest their foreheads close in warm light for a quiet portrait at Riva St Kilda at night.
The wedding story

Our Riva St Kilda wedding photos: vows by the marina, a bride’s own speech and a first dance under a pink sky

Getting ready · Verandah ceremony by the marina · Family groups inside · Speeches by the marina windows · Palm lawn portraits over the bay · First dance and cake

Read the full story

Bow ties and big laughs

Our day began with Gavin and his mates in white shirts, crowded into a bright room and laughing before a single jacket was on. One of them reached around from behind to fix Gavin’s collar while Gavin screwed his eyes up grinning, and we stayed close, because the best groom frames happen while everyone is still mucking around. Then the black dinner jacket went on, and a loved one in a navy dress pinned on his boutonniere by the window. Big windows and white walls make lovely light for a groom: soft, even and kind to a dark suit.

Sequins in the window

Markala’s gown hung in the window, slim, sequinned and catching every bit of daylight while two of the girls looked up at it. Once it was on, she gave herself a spritz of perfume beside the sheer curtains, and we found her reflection in the glass for a quiet frame. Then she stepped through a doorway with her train behind her, and the family gathered for photos, a loved one in magenta planting a kiss on her cheek. Our tip for getting ready: pick the room with the biggest window and clear the space behind it.

Petals on the verandah

The ceremony was set on a covered verandah: white folding chairs on a dark deck scattered with petals, and at the far end a white-draped arbour topped with white roses, with the lawn and the marina’s boats right behind it. Guests had their phones up as Markala came down the aisle on her dad’s arm, her sequins sparkling against the white weatherboards. We worked from the front with a longer lens, which let us fill the frame with the two of them without stepping into anyone’s view of the aisle.

Hands held under white roses

Under the arbour, Markala and Gavin held hands and looked at each other as if nobody else was there, the sheer drapes framing them and the boats soft behind. One of Gavin’s mates stood close by in a matching bow tie. In the chairs, a loved one in magenta wiped away a tear, a guest cuddled a wide-eyed baby, and the whole verandah broke into laughter more than once. Covered ceremony spaces are kind to faces: the roof keeps the light soft and even, so we could turn to the guests for reactions without anyone squinting.

A peekaboo game

Once they were married, the youngest guest stole the show. A little girl in a white dress peeked out from behind a cocktail table’s long cloth, then squealed with laughter as a loved one swung her up into the air. Inside, we lined up the family groups in front of tall windows, with a neat stack of firewood beside the fireplace, then sat Markala and Gavin down with the older guests so nobody had to stand for long. Bring a short family list on the day: it keeps the groups to a few relaxed minutes and gets everyone back to the drinks.

Speeches by the marina windows

The reception ran in a room of dark walls, chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling windows dressed in sheer curtains, with the marina just outside. Markala and Gavin walked in to applause, then the speeches began. Her dad made Markala laugh so hard she bent over her notes, and two of Gavin’s mates read from cue cards while the couple cracked up beside them. Then Markala took the microphone and gave a speech of her own, and by the end she was wiping her eyes. Against bright windows we expose for faces and let the view fall softly behind.

Palms, pickets and the bay

Riva St Kilda wedding photos are made on the lawn out the front. Late in the day we walked the bridal party out under the festoon lights between the tall palms, the bay stretching away behind them. Gavin and two mates leaned on the railing with the city skyline across the water, Markala stood alone by the white picket fence with her train spread on the grass, and the two of them held hands in silhouette against the low sun. We shot into the light on purpose here, because the water throws the glow straight back at the couple.

A first dance under a pink sky

Back inside, Markala shared a dance with her dad beside the DJ booth, the skyline glowing through the window behind them. Then came the first dance, with the doors open and a pink and gold sky behind the palms, and the floor filled the moment the song ended. An evening first dance beside glass that faces the bay is one of our favourite bits of timing: the sunset becomes the backdrop and nobody has to leave the room. We stayed low and wide to keep the colour in the frame, then moved in close for the smiles.

Cake, glasses up and a quiet moment

Markala and Gavin cut their three-tier white cake together, laughing as the knife went in, and then the party properly started. The girls gathered out on the lawn for a dusk photo in their party dresses, a guest pulled out moves that cleared a circle on the dance floor, and Markala and Gavin raised their glasses with their friends under the coloured lights. Before the night carried on, we stole them away for one quiet portrait in warm light, foreheads close, with the room glowing behind them. It was the calmest frame of a very happy night.

Photographer's venue notes

Riva St Kilda, St Kilda: verandah vows by the marina and a golden walk along the palm lawn

Read the venue notes

How the day used Riva

Markala and Gavin made the most of how close everything sits at Riva. The ceremony took the covered verandah, with petals across the dark deck and the arbour placed so the lawn and the moored boats filled the background. Family groups moved indoors to the tall curtained windows, which kept the light soft and gave us space to seat the older guests. The reception room with its chandeliers and marina view hosted the speeches, then we slipped out to the palm lawn for portraits and came back in for the first dance.

Low sun and a coloured sky

Our lawn session fell in the last stretch of daylight, when the sun was sitting low over the bay and glittering on the water. That gave us strong silhouettes along the picket fence and a golden edge on the bridal party as they walked between the palms. Clouds were building over the bay, which added drama to the kiss by the fence. By the time we were back inside, the sky had turned pink and gold, so the open doors behind the dance floor turned into a painted backdrop.

Our favourite spots on this day

On the verandah, the white draped arbour framed them neatly against the boats from almost any angle along the aisle. Out front, the white picket fence was the hero: Markala alone with her train on the grass, the pair of them in silhouette, and a slow dance on the lawn at dusk. Gavin and his mates leaned on the rail facing the city skyline across the water. Inside, a gold framed mirror caught a palm from outside in its reflection, which made the guest portraits feel tied to the place.

Planning notes from Markala and Gavin’s day

Keep the speeches before the golden hour, as these two did, so you can step outside straight after the last toast without cutting anything short. Ask an attendant to spread your train on the grass for the fence portraits, because a long sequinned gown reads best laid flat in that light. The girls loved a dusk group out on the lawn in their party dresses, so build in a few minutes for it. Then save a moment for a quiet portrait together once the dancing has started.

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